You don’t have to read too much Scripture to realize that Israel had a pretty unique vantage point from which they should have received the Messiah of God — yet, they rejected Him. How sad.

Now, this rejection was not through ignorance, because they had, as I pointed out, a unique knowledge of Yahweh and His Word. For example, the Pharisees, who were the “Doctors,” if you will, of the Law, were able to read the Old Testament in its original language. The average Pharisee of Jesus’ day could put today’s Hebrew scholars to shame. They knew every nuance, every connotation of that language, inside and out. If they read Isaiah 53, they could do it with more knowledge of the language of that passage of Scripture than any scholar alive today. They read all of the promises that foretold the coming Messiah in their native language, with great passion for it, and yet, when the Messiah did come, they missed Him. You see, the problem is that knowing Hebrew and Greek does not necessarily guarantee you knowledge of Yahweh’s Word — You need to know the Author of the Book so He can explain its meaning!

What I am saying is that you must not waste the opportunities you have. Israel wasted theirs. They, for all their knowledge of Yahweh and experiences with Yahweh, rejected the Messiah, which, by the way, opened the door for us. Yes, their redemption is yet to come, but now it is our responsibility to share the exciting news of the Messiah!

The reality is that people will still choose to reject Christ. It is sad, but a reality, nonetheless. All you have to do is look around. There are people who do not want Yahweh in their life. They want to be the one in control. They want nothing to do with a God who will limit what they want to do.

Having the right opportunities does not guarantee they will make the right choice, either. Just as Israel rejected the truth despite all God did for them, people do the same today. It is always a terrible tragedy when anyone rejects Christ. It does not matter who they are, when anyone fails to surrender to Christ, they are sealing their eternal destiny. The result of such a course of action is eternal condemnation and hell.

Our hearts should be broken for those who reject Christ. God’s heart is broken for them, no matter how sinful they are. If we would have a heart like God’s, our heart must be broken as well.

Where are you in this scenario? Are you considering Christ? Then don’t reject Him. Take whatever time you need to investigate His claims. You will find them to be true. Are you broken-hearted over the spiritual destiny of those who are not following Christ? They are your neighbors. They are your co-workers. They are your family. They are your friends.

In his song, “Don’t Tell Them Jesus Loves Them,” Steve Camp sings:

“Don’t tell them Jesus loves them
till you’re ready to love them too
Till your heart breaks from the sorrow
and the pain they’re going through
With a life full of compassion
may we do what we must do
Don’t tell them Jesus loves them
till you’re ready to love them too.”

Get it? We must be willing to lay our lives down for those we see. I encourage you to take some time again, and read Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. Especially chapter 12. Now, in verses 9-13, in the Living Bible, it says:

“Don’t just pretend you love others: really love them.”

Oh too many of us have seen that kind of “love.” We can’t even fairly call it love. It simply makes you feel good that you did something nice (then turn around and criticise that person)

“Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good . . . [then the heart of it says,] when you see God’s children in need, you be the one to help them out.”

I love that! Don’t call the Pastor, don’t pat them on the shoulder and say, “It’ll get better soon . . .” No! When you see the need — you be the one to help them!